Yogurt More Than Stand-in For Sour Cream In Dressings

While sugar-sweetened, fruit-flavored forms of yogurt proliferate, the uses for plain low-fat yogurt also are multiplying as people become more nutrition- conscious and fitness-minded.

One of yogurt`s most famed fundamental uses is serving as a stand-in for sour cream. However, the sharper flavor of pure yogurt is beginning to win plaudits as an ingredient in its own right. Thick and creamy, like sour cream, yogurt has a tart flavor that`s particularly good with other healthy low-cal ingredients. One of the best pairings is yogurt and raw vegetables. Chicken, seafood and shellfish blend well with yogurt`s tang, too.

The following combinations can serve as either thick salad dressing or thick dip, depending on whether you like to eat your veggies with fingers or fork. Leftover dressings should be stored in the refrigerator in a covered container. They will last about as long as the plain yogurt they were made from would have lasted, so check the expiration date on the yogurt carton. Or relabel the yogurt container and use it to store the leftover dressing. Be sure to use plain low-fat yogurt, with no added sugar. Most of the dressings are under 20 calories per tablespoon.